Transporting and dumping equipment



P 1950 H. w. JONES 2,951,604

TRANSPORTING AND DUMPING EQUIPMENT Filed Dec. 12. less 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR flfl/PRX kid/ONE w Lwm;

ATTORNEYS Sept. 6, 1960.

H. w. JONES 2,951,604

TRANSPORTING AND DUMPING EQUIPMENT Filed Dec. 12, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY S 2,951,604 Patented Sept. e, rest;

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2,951,604 TRANSPOR'IING AND DUMPING EQUIPMENT Harry W. Jones, Knoxville, Tenn., assignor to Dempster Brothers, Inc., Knoxville, Tenn., a corporation of Tennessee Filed Dec. 12, 1956, Ser. No. 627,7 84 6 Claims (Cl. 214-317) This invention relates to improvements in transporting and dumping equipment, and more particularly for such equipment as is used for handling containers, an example of which was set forth in the patent to George R. Dempster, No. 2,387,500, granted October 23, 1945.

Such transporting equipment as customarily manufactured and used heretofore has involved the use of a boom pivotally mounted on a motor vehicle, with flexible devices suspended from the free ends of the arms of the boom, adapted for detachable engagement with a container at opposite ends thereof for lifting the container onto the vehicle for transportation and for holding it during dumping. Many such devices have used widely spaced boom arms so as to accommodate containers of maximum length. Containers have been made, however, of varying lengths, according to .the capacity and character of the respective containers. It is difficult to handle such various sized containers with a single hoisting unit of the character provided heretofore because of the difliculty in attaching and connecting the container with the arms of the boom. it

One object of this invention is to overcome these objections and to provide for the handling of containers of various sizes and lengths on a single hoisting unit.

Another object of the invention is to improve the construction of the boom of the hoisting unit to provide for attachment of variable sized containers thereto.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a folding cross arm on a boom as a supplementary support for a container, especially one of a size different from that for which the boom is adapted.

These objects may be accomplished, according to one embodiment of the invention, by the provision of a supplementary supporting device, such as a folding cross arm, on a conventional boom, with means on the folding cross arm for attachment to a container at opposite ends thereof to raise and lower the container with respect to the vehicle on which the hoisting unit is mounted. The folding cross arm is pivoted directly to the side arms of the boom and may be lowered into supporting posit-ion, having flexible devices connected therewith for attachment to the container at opposite ends of said container. The folding cross arm rests directly on the outer end of the boom in its operative position, and when not required may be turned to a raised position, so as not to interfere with the normal and intended use of the boom.

When wide containers are being handled by the hoisting unit, the conventional boom connections are used for attachment to opposite ends of a wide container. On "the other hand, when a container, that is narrower than customarily employed with the boom available, is encountered, the cross .arm can belowered to its operative position. The flexible devices on the cross arm then can be attached to the narrower container and the container handled in the usual way for loading, dumping, etc.

This embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a hoisting unit and container having the invention incorporated in the hoisting illlit;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a portion of a boom, with a cross arm thereon;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation thereof; and

Fig. 4 is a detail cross section through the cross arm mounting, on the line 4-4 in Fig. 2.

The invention is shown applied to a hoisting unit of the character shown more indetail in the aforesaid patent of George R. Dempster, No. 2,387,500. The hoisting unit is usually mounted on a truck chassis, generally indicated by the numeral 1, having frame structure thereon, shown at 2, for supporting the operatingparts of the hoisting unit. Mounted on the frame structure 2 is a carriage 3, capable of bodily movement forward and backward relative to the chassis 1 and includingmeans to facilitate dumping of the container when supported on the carriage 3 in a conventional manner. a

The container is indicated at 4, any suitable form or type of which may be used as desired, of the drop bottom, tip-over, skip, drum, etc. The container 4 is provided with lifting pins 5 at opposite ends thereof to facilitate picking up the container by hoisting means on the chassis, sliding it up the carriage 3, which carriage is then moved forward on the chassis 1, and the container is set down on rests 6 provided on the frame structure 2 of the hoisting unit. When the container is to be dumped, a bail 7 on the container may be connected with a hook 8 on the carriage 3, whereby the container will be dumped automatically when the hoisting means is lowered.

The hoisting means comprises a boom, generally indicated at 9, including a pair of boom arms 16 spaced on opposite sides of the chassis 1. The forward ends of these boom arms it are pivotally mounted at 11 on the frame 2 of the hoisting unit, capable of being raised or lowered with respect thereto by hydraulic power devices 12 in the example illustrated in the aforesaid patent. Thearms it} are normally disposed adjacent opposite sides of the chassis and are connected together and braced by a cross beam 13 which extends therebetween. The hydraulic power devices 12 are connected with the cross beam and extend downward therefrom to the frame 2.

The outerrear ends of the boom arms 10 are separated and disconnected in the normal construction of hoisting unit, so as to receive therebetween containers of different sizes and heights. Attachments are provided on the free rearward ends ofthe boom arms for connection with the lifting pins at the opposite ends of the container.

Each boom arm preferably is fabricated with spaced plates 14 suitably braced to form a secure structural member. At the outer end of the boom arm 19, spaced lugs 15 are provided, through which a pin it extends. A stirrup 17 supports a lifting chain 18 on the free end of which a key plate 19 is provided, adapted to engage one of the lifting pins 5 on theouter end of a container of appropriate length. Any suitable form of flexible device may be used in place of the chain 18. When the flexible device is not in use, it may be held in inoperative position by engaging the key plate 19 with a hook 20 provided on the stirrup 17.

To accommodate containers of different widths, I have provided a folding cross arm on the boom 9, with pro visions for connecting the folding cross arm with opposite ends of 'a container of a different size than customarily employed with the hoisting unit having wide boom arms as described.

'This folding cross arm comprises a cross beam .21 which extends outward in overlapping relation with the spaced boom arms 10. The cross beam 21 may be made of box girder construction and is capable of'seating directly upon the upper edges of the cars 15 at the free rear ends of the boom arms 10. Guide plates 22 on opposite ends of the beam 21 embrace the outer faces of the boom arms 10, as will be apparent from Fig. 1.

The cross beam 21 is mounted on a pair of arms 23 welded or otherwise secured at the outer ends thereof to the adjacent face of the'cross beam 21. Gusset plates are shown at 24 intermediate the arms 23 and the beam 21 for bracing the cross arm structure.

Arms 23 extend between the spaced plates 14 of the respective boom arms in the manner illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. Each arm 23 is pivotally connected to the boom arm 10 by a mounting bolt 25 extending through the spaced plates 14 intermediate the latter and the arm 23 to hold the arm properly centered with respect to the boom arm.

The cross beam 21 is provided with a pair of ears 27 adjacent each opposite end thereof and provided with a cross pin 28 extending therethrough. A stirrup 29 is received between each pair of cars 27 and supported on the pin 28 therein. Each stirrup 29 suspends a flexible device, such, for example, as a chain 30, having a key plate 31 on the free end thereof adapted for engagement with a lifting pin 5 on the adjacent end of the container 4.

It will be apparent from the drawings that the lifting chains '30 are spaced inward toward each other in closer relation than are the lifting chains 18. Consequently, when a narrow container is encountered, the chains 30 are used as illustrated in Fig. 1. However, when a wider container is encountered, the cross arm structure can be put back to its retracted position, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3, and the chains 18 be used, in that event,

for attachment to the lifting pins of the container and g for handling the container. In either event, a straight line pull will be provided from the boom assembly to the end connections on the container to provide for lifting of a maximum load and for appropriate handling of the container thereby.

In this way one hoisting unit can accommodate containers of different sizes, not only as to different capacity but also as to different lengths, without adding appreciably to the cost of construction of the hoisting unit. The folding cross arm is simple and inexpensive and yet it provides additional attachments for different sized containers, that enables one hoisting unit to have multiple functions and uses. The lifting chains provided on the folding cross arm and on the boom can be pulled up out of the way so as not to interfere with their respective uses. Hooks are provided at 32 on the stirrups 29 for securing the chains 30 in their raised inoperative positions, in the manner shown with respect to the chains 18.

In other respects, the operation of the hoisting unit and container is carried out in the manner set forth more in detail in the aforesaid Dempster patent, No. 2,387,500.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in one embodiment, it is recognized that variations and changes may be made therein without departing from the invention as set forth in the claims.

I claim:

1. In transporting equipment adapted for use with a container having end connections, the combination of a power operated boom adapted to be movably mounted for raising and lowering movement, a cross arm, flexible devices connected with the cross arm and adapted to extend therefrom to the end connections on the container, said cross arm including a cross beam having the flexible devices mounted thereon, a pair of arms fixed rigidly to the cross beam at opposite ends thereof, and means pivotally connecting the pair of arms with the boom for swinging movement of the cross arm to a retracted inoperative position relative thereto.

2. In transporting equipment adapted for use with a container having end connections, the combination of a power operated boom adapted to be movably mounted for raising and lowering movement, a cross arm, flexible devices connected with the cross arm and adapted to extend therefrom to the end connections on the container, said cross arm including a cross beam having the flexible devices mounted thereon, a pair of arms fixed rigidly to the cross beam at opposite ends thereof, means pivotally connecting the pair of arms with the boom for swinging movement of the cross arm to a retracted inoperative position relative thereto, said cross beam being in position to be seated upon the boom in its operative position, and guide bars connected with the cross beam and extending in embracing relation at opposite sides of the boom with the cross arm in its operative position.

3. In transporting equipment adapted for handling a container having end connections thereon, the combination of a power operated pivotally mounted boom including a pair of laterally spaced arms, flexible devices carried by the free ends of the arms for connection with the end connections of a container, a folding cross arm mounted on the boom, flexible devices mounted on the folding cross arm adjacent and spaced from the firstmentioned flexible devices for attachment to end connections of a container of a different size than the first-mentioned container and to suspend the second-mentioned container on the boom, and means mounting the folding cross arm and second-mentioned flexible devices for movement to a retracted position during supporting of the container by the first-mentioned flexible devices.

4. In transporting equipment adapted for connection with a container, the combination of an elongated boom, means on one end of said boom for connection with a container, means at the opposite end portion of the boom mounting said boom for raising and lowering movements of said container connecting means, a cross arm having means adjacent the first-mentioned connecting means for alternate connection with a second container, and means mounting the cross arm on the boom for bodily movement of the second-mentioned container connecting means to a retracted position remote from the first-mew tioned container connecting means.

5. In transporting equipment adapted for connection with a container, the combination of an elongated boom including a pair of laterally spaced boom arms, means on said arms at one end of the boom for connection with a container, means at the opposite end portion of the boom mounting said boom for raising and lowering movements of said container connecting means, a cross arm extending in bridging relation between the boom arms and supported thereon in one position, said cross arm having means adjacent the first-mentioned connecting means for alternate connection with a second container, and means mounting the cross arm on the boom for bodily movement of the second-mentioned container connecting means to a retracted position remote from the first-mentioned container connecting means.

6. In transporting equipment adapted for connection with a container, the combination with a vehicle, of an elongated boom, means on one end of the boom for connection with a container, means mounting the boom References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,497,961 Townsend June 17, 1924 2,069,697 Dempster Feb. 2, 1937 2,262,415 Williams et-al. Nov. 11, 1941 2,716,502 Wilson Aug. 30, 1955 2,848,123 1958 Keys Aug. 19, 

